Opportunity vs Accomplishment

I just recently had an incredible opportunity to share an idea at the 2017 TEDxIdahoFalls event just 20 minutes from where I grew up. During the lead up to the event, and after, I would get messages and phone calls from people telling me how great of an accomplishment it is to speak at a TED organization event. I’d simply say “thank you,” and then share that I was excited for the opportunity. This lead me to really start asking some questions that I am not sure I have the answer to, yet.

• Was this more of an ‘opportunity’ than an ‘accomplishment,’ or vice versa?
• Are they basically synonymous?
• If not, are they at least related to one another?
• Does it really matter how we look at things/events in our life? I mean, the result is probably the same, right?

 
I don’t have an argument I’d like to defend regarding the first three questions, but I do have one for the last one: Does it really matter how we look at things/events in our life? And my argument is absolutely, YES. It does matter.
 
Now, please understand that I am not claiming to be right. It is 10:51 am on Saturday, March 4th, it is overcast outside, and I am just finishing up some coffee as I write in a brainstorm manner. My thoughts on this are mostly gathered, and I am hoping to solidify them as I write. I need to just get the idea out, then we can refine it.
 
I was so stuck on this question that this week I actually enlisted my students to help me out. For a warm up activity in class, I had them write down their opinions on whether or not there was a difference between opportunities and accomplishments, and if so, which one was more important to focus on. The majority agreed that there was a difference between the two, but it was evenly split as to where our focus should be. Even their arguments for why they thought we should focus on one more than the other didn’t match up.
 
So, I guess I am really writing this to just further dilute the pot. BUT, I think I have a strong point to share. It’s very simply this:
 
It is more important to focus on opportunities than accomplishments.
 
When we are focused on opportunities, we are forward-thinking, with gratitude. When our focus is on accomplishment, our thinking is behind us. Again, I am not dead-set on this. There is a lot of room for good discussion, but it’s a place to start. I think the two are definitely related. Accomplishment pushes us because, well, who doesn’t like to feel accomplished? And, one could argue that opportunities give us the ability to accomplish. In addition to all these thoughts, when we view even the stresses of life as opportunities, we start to reinvent the way we view the world around us. Suddenly, the “I have to’s” become the “I get to’s.” And that just makes for a better day all around.
 
To conclude, I am grateful for the opportunity I had to share an idea at TEDxIdahoFalls. Whether or not I, or any of the speakers, accomplished anything will be decided by whether or not the ideas are actually implemented and actually help somebody. If they don’t help, what was really accomplished?
 
Please, help me figure this out. Are they different? Does one strictly follow the other? Does it matter? I’d love to hear your opinion!

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